Magazine Closures Slow Down, But So Do Launches

Only 97 new print and digital magazines launched in the first half of 2013, down from 133 in the year-ago period, according to figures released today by MediaFinder.com, an online database of U.S. and Canadian publications.

Food and regional titles dominated new launches, with 12 new food magazines including Allrecipes.com, a print spinoff of the popular home cooks website owned by Meredith Corp., a few annuals from Better Homes and Gardens, Edible Milwaukee, along with 10 new regional publications. The luxury trend continued, with the introduction of titles like Haute Time and Tempus and no fewer than three new Hamptons magazines: Beach, Avenue at the Beach and Daily Summer.

On the bright side, the number of closures declined, to 29 in 1H 2013 from 48 in last year's first half. Consolidation by Bonnier Corp. and arts and crafts publisher F+W accounted for a number of them. Bonnier shuttered Garden Design in February, and its Parenting and Babytalk titles were folded when they were sold to Meredith in May.

The slowdown in launches extended to digital-only magazines, too. MediaFinder counted 14 digital-only launches in the first half of the year, including ones from Esquire and The Atlantic, versus 19 in the year-ago period. There were two digital-only shutdowns this first half, versus three in the first half of 2012.

Only 97 new print and digital magazines launched in the first half of 2013, down from 133 in the year-ago period, according to figures released today by MediaFinder.com, an online database of U.S. and Canadian publications.

Food and regional titles dominated new launches, with 12 new food magazines including Allrecipes.com, a print spinoff of the popular home cooks website owned by Meredith Corp., a few annuals from Better Homes and Gardens, Edible Milwaukee, along with 10 new regional publications. The luxury trend continued, with the introduction of titles like Haute Time and Tempus and no fewer than three new Hamptons magazines: Beach, Avenue at the Beach and Daily Summer.

On the bright side, the number of closures declined, to 29 in 1H 2013 from 48 in last year's first half. Consolidation by Bonnier Corp. and arts and crafts publisher F+W accounted for a number of them. Bonnier shuttered Garden Design in February, and its Parenting and Babytalk titles were folded when they were sold to Meredith in May.

The slowdown in launches extended to digital-only magazines, too. MediaFinder counted 14 digital-only launches in the first half of the year, including ones from Esquire and The Atlantic, versus 19 in the year-ago period. There were two digital-only shutdowns this first half, versus three in the first half of 2012.